Saturday, January 14, 2017

“The power and wealth of the pharmaceutical industry and their 1,300 lobbyists and unlimited sums of money have bought the United States Congress”—Senator Bernie Sanders

“While the Republican
Party is publicly dismantling millions of Americans' health safety net, more
than a dozen Democrats late Wednesday quietly threw their weight behind Big
Pharma and voted down an amendment that would have allowed pharmacists to
import identical—but much less expensive—drugs from Canada and other countries.

“The ‘power and wealth
of the pharmaceutical industry and their 1,300 lobbyists and unlimited sums of
money have bought the United States Congress,’ Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) declared
in a speech on the Senate floor while introducing the amendment, co-sponsored
by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), which would have been attached to the
chamber's budget resolution. It came amid a flurry
of legislative activity during Wednesday evening's ‘vote-a-rama.’

“‘Year after year the
same old takes place: the pharmaceutical industry makes more and more money and
the American people pay higher ad higher prices,’ Sanders continued, asking his
colleagues if they ‘have the guts finally to stand up to the pharmaceutical
industry and their lobbyists and their campaign contributions and fight for the
American consumer?’

“It turns out, no. In
fact, 13 Democrats voted against the measure (roll call here),
siding with the Republican majority and drawing sharp rebuke from observers,
who pointed out that many who voted ‘no’ receive substantial contributions from
the pharmaceutical industry.

“Many were particularly
dismayed that Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) had sided with Big Pharma after winning
liberal praise for his unprecedented
testimony against Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).
Notably, 12 Republicans and two Independents, including Sanders, voted for the
measure.

“Seventy-two percent of
Americans support such a rule, according to Sanders,
who noted that the price differences between the U.S. and Canada are ‘dramatic.’
‘EpiPen, for example, costs more than $600 in the United States compared to
$290 in Canada for the exact same allergy treatment,’ a press statement from
Sanders' office observed.
‘A popular drug for high cholesterol, Crestor, costs $730 in the U.S. but $160
across the northern border. Abilify, a drug to treat depression, is more than
$2,636 for a 90-day supply in the U.S. but only $436 in Canada.’

“Sanders' attempt to
attach such a provision to the 21st Century Cures Act last month was similarly blocked.
Should the import rule have passed, it would have been a step towards ending ‘the
epidemic of price gouging,’ Sanders said, which has become a hot-button
issue for many Americans who are unable to afford their prescription
drugs—a point the former presidential candidate hammered home on Twitter ahead
of the vote.”

Teacher/Poet/Musician

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Persona

A writer must “know and have an ever-present consciousness that this world is a world of fools and rogues… tormented with envy, consumed with vanity; selfish, false, cruel, cursed with illusions… He should free himself of all doctrines, theories, etiquettes, politics…” —Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?). “The nobility of the writer's occupation lies in resisting oppression, thus in accepting isolation” —Albert Camus (1913-1960). “What are you gonna do” —Bertha Brown (1895-1987).